As evening settles in I busy myself making a new type of pasta dish. Rather than straining the liquid from the noodles, the pasta is cooked in the liquid as if making a risotto. It may not be a traditional New Year’s meal, but it tastes good and sits, still warm, as I wait for my husband to return from work. Glühwein sits in the crockpot, heated and ready to warm us on this cold January night. Rain came down all day in gentle swishes of water. The air was cold and prickly but smelled so nice, seeping into the house through the open windows before I couldn’t handle it and had to shutter them up and warm myself near the radiator.

As the new year came in I sat, Otherfaith books on one side of my laptop, writing away about the prayers and devotions of the Other People. I sat for a good few minutes (or more) trying to figure out how to write about the practical aspects. Do I start with the shrines? Do I start with prayers? How do I break it all down?

Strong incense drifted from my shrine in the entrance room. I breathed in and centered myself. My skin was almost buzzing with excitement. I could break down the practicals, because I had to, and because doing so would solidify my own practice.

I am adapting previous writings of mine concerning the Other People’s devotional life. While many prayers will remain intact, the timing and devotional schedule will change. This is to accommodate the realities of my current life. It is also so I can more easily advise people how to begin practicing in the ‘faith. Rather than the devotional week being Monday through Sunday, it is shortened to Monday through Friday, with the weekends having optional devotions but more focused on integrating the gods into our general lives.

Of course I can’t share everything that I’ll be writing. It will be published in a few months as ‘A Brief Introduction to the Otherfaith’. Patrons on Patreon will get a first look as well as an option to receive physical copies if they want.

And now it’s time to get back to dinner and the house and enjoying this cold new year.